Experts eye small-hotel chain big boost for Central American economies

Tourism experts huddled in Panama said a network of mom-and-pop hotels could chip in considerably to Central America’s economic takeoff and would eventually pan out to be a sustainable activity to keep poverty in the region at bay.

Ecuadorian expert Gonzalo Aguirre, coordinator of the Small Hotel Assistance Program, believes a mesh of efficient small hotels could multiply the region’s travel options and would turn small inns –usually run by families- into big-time generators of wealth and jobs.

The chain got cracking with 180 hotels (30 for each Central American nation), a figure that is expected to double in 2004 now that leisure choices in the region grew 40 percent in the course of this year.

Mr. Aguirre explained the initiative –supported by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Central American Integration System- includes the streamlining of management proceedings through the application of an automation system dubbed Techno Hotel.

Accommodations in Central America’s small hotels, ranging from 5 to 50 rooms overall, usually enjoy such benefits as training programs for their personnel and other plans that help increase the flow of incoming tourists to the country without padding tour operators’ bills.

In line with official reports, Panamanian tourism grew a solid 10.5 percent in 2003, with as many as $750 million worth of revenues, as a result of an intensive promotional campaign that portrays the country as a safe destination blessed with breathtaking biodiversity.